The signaling network is of vital importance to network service providers. This is because the signaling network directs signaling traffic from source to destination leveraging Third Generation Partnership Project (“3GPP”) standard protocols, such as DIAMETER and RADIUS. DIAMETER protocol is an authentication, authorization, and accounting (“AAA”) protocol that works at the application layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (“OSI”) model. DIAMETER supersedes RADIUS and provides several new features, including application layer acknowledgement, capability negotiation, and extensibility to add new features. DIAMETER is a message-based protocol, whereby end points exchange messages and receive positive or negative acknowledgements. DIAMETER protocol is well-documented in technical specifications such as those available from the Internet Engineering Task Force (“IETF”), particularly Request for Comments (“RFC”) 6733 and related documents.
Protecting and maintaining the signaling network is critical to avoid network outages and to promptly deliver a wide range of revenue generating services, including, for example, video, social network, social media, Voice over Long-Term Evolution (“VoLTE”), e-commerce, multimedia, and messaging. The signaling network must operate properly and must not become overloaded to avoid network outages. When the signaling network becomes overloaded, a registration storm can be triggered and cause both the signaling network and the bearer network to stop functioning or to function at a reduced capacity.